Mad Dog (GC826) - BP

Mad Dog (GC826) - BP Oil and Gas Asset Profile

Location

The Mad Dog oil and gas field is located in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, approximately 190 miles (310 km) south of New Orleans and 150 miles (240 km) southwest of Venice, Louisiana. It is situated in the south-eastern Green Canyon protraction area, specifically in lease blocks GC738, GC781, GC782, GC824, GC825, GC826, GC868, GC869, and GC870.

Water Depth and Geology

The field is in water depths ranging from 5,000 to 7,000 feet (1,500 to 2,100 meters) along the Sigsbee Escarpment at the Western Atwater Foldbelt.

Discovery and Production History

• The Mad Dog field was discovered in May 1998.
• Production began in 2005 with the initial platform.
• Continued appraisal drilling in 2009 and 2011 significantly increased the resource estimate of the field.

Ownership and Operation

• The field is operated by BP, which holds a 60.5% interest.
• Other owners include Woodside Energy (formerly BHP Billiton) with a 23.9% interest and Union Oil Company of California, an affiliate of Chevron U.S.A. Inc., with a 15.6% interest.

Phase 1 Development

• Phase 1 of the project uses a truss spar oil platform, known as Spar A, manufactured in Finland.
  • The platform measures 128 feet (39 meters) in diameter and 555 feet (169 meters) in length, with a weight of 20,800 tonnes.
  • It includes production facilities with 13 production slots, a drilling riser slot, and two service slots, and quarters for 126 personnel.
• The production capacity of Phase 1 is up to 100,000 barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil and 60 million cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) of natural gas.
• Oil is transported to Ship Shoal 332B via the Caesar pipeline, and gas is transported via the Cleopatra pipeline to the Manta Ray Gathering System and then to the Nautilus Gas Transportation System into Louisiana.

Phase 2 Development

• Mad Dog Phase 2 is a southern and southwestern extension of the existing field.
• The project includes a new semi-submersible floating production unit named Argos, moored approximately 10 km southwest of the existing Mad Dog platform in 4,500 feet deep water.
• Argos has a production capacity of up to 140,000 gross barrels of crude oil per day from up to 14 production wells and eight water injectors.
• The platform features BP’s proprietary LoSal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and dynamic digital twin technologies, with a waterflood injection capacity of more than 140,000 barrels of low-salinity water per day.
• The project was initially estimated to cost $22 billion but was revised and simplified, reducing the cost to $9 billion. The final investment decision was made in December 2016, and the platform was brought on stream in April 2023.

Production and Reserves

• The gross estimated reserves of the Mad Dog field range from 200 to 450 million barrels of oil equivalent (Bboe).
• As of 2019, the remaining reserves were estimated at 130.2 million barrels of oil and 2,375.76 million cubic meters of gas.
• Cumulative production as of 2019 was 232.6 million barrels of oil and 1,925.53 million cubic meters of gas.
• Current annual production is approximately 22.6 million barrels of oil and 140.9 million cubic meters of gas per year.

Infrastructure and Transportation

• Oil from the project is transported via the Caesar pipeline to Ship Shoal 332B and then through the Cameron Highway Oil Pipeline System.
• Gas is exported via the Cleopatra pipeline to the Manta Ray Gathering System and then to the Nautilus Gas Transportation System into Louisiana.

Future Development

• Beyond the current operations, there are further brownfield growth opportunities at Mad Dog, including additional wells tied back to the existing Argos facility.
• A final investment decision was taken in 2023 on the South West Extension Project, which involves a three-well tie-back to the existing Argos facility.

Challenges and Incidents

• The Mad Dog platform was damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008, resulting in the drilling derrick being toppled. A new drilling package was installed in early 2012 to replace the damaged one.